Friday, January 28, 2011

Caroline and I started this craft a while back and just last weekend got back to it. Ours didn't turn out nearly as beautiful as Kristen's, but we had a great time and Caroline loved painting her own beads. We ended up stringing a necklace and a bracelet out of our creations. I think we might have to try this one again and this time, Mama might have to be in charge of smoothing out the beads after Caroline rolls them up. If we can get these beads to turn out a little smoother, I think we'll have a better end result.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011

I started reading this book about two weeks ago. It isn't long and if you read straight through, it wouldn't take long to read. I've been reading and re-reading and highlighting and underlining and taking notes though. There are parts I just have to revisit several times to make sure I "get" it. I'm still not sure I do.

If you never read her words on her blog before, you'll first be struck by the beauty of the way Ann Voskamp writes. She writes like an artist, using words to paint a beautiful story of truth.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

The girls got a little outside table and chairs set for Christmas from my cousin and her family. They love it! Last week, they asked to eat lunch outside at the new table. Even though it was a little chilly for eating outside in my opinion, they enjoyed every minute of it. And by every minute of it, I do mean every minute of the entire six minute period of time it took them to eat their sandwiches, chips, and soup.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Now that LSU football is over for about seven months, we had to find another occasion to let Caroline wear her three LSU cheerleader uniforms. So, on Sunday, she and I braved the cold and rainy weather and went to cheer on the Lady Tigers basketball team at the PMAC. We had great seats and had a great time. Caroline hasn't ever played basketball, and honestly she just has a special place in her heart for cheerleaders and dancers, but I think the game at least piqued her interest in the sport. As a side note, upon leaving she said she'd rather be a Tiger Girl (dance team) than a basketball player or cheerleader because their outfits are sparkly. Which is probably the best way to choose which path to take in life; who wears the outfit I like the best?

The game itself was good; the team played well and beat Alabama pretty handily (72-43). Caroline, however, especially enjoyed the popcorn, M&M's, and getting to see herself on the big screen no less than three times. She was so bewildered that a cameraman would actually find her in the crowd and put the video of it for everyone to see. If I had been thinking more clearly, I would have at least tried to get a picture of the screen, but this one picture is all I have to show for the outing.

Saturday, January 08, 2011

Friday, January 07, 2011

I used to dread driving a mini-van. Now it's kind of my dream to have one. Looks like I'm not alone (obviously I'm in the latter camp).

"The world is divided into two kinds of people: those who, when they have kids, worry they are no longer cool, and those who, when they have kids, think being a parent is cooler than anything they’ve ever done. The latter group will consider a minivan. The former won’t, even if you paint a skull and crossbones on it.”

If you watched Alfred Hitchcock's movie The Birds when you were younger and were scarred for life, you might want to click away right now.

Jeff took Caroline and Charlotte to the LSU lakes on Saturday to feed the ducks and they were completely overwhelmed by feathered friends of all kinds. Swans, ducks, geese, sea gulls, and I'm sure some other bird life as well.

The video gives you the full effect with sounds and sights. If you're in the bird fear camp with me, you might want to just scroll on down to the decidedly more serene pictures.

Thursday, January 06, 2011

I don't know if I've ever been struck by a definition the way I was when I decided to find out what Webster's had to say about today:

epiph·a·ny

noun\i-ˈpi-fə-nē\

pluralepiph·a·nies

EPIPHANY

1: capitalized: January 6 observed as a church festival in commemoration of the coming of the Magi as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles or in the Eastern Church in commemoration of the baptism of Christ

2: an appearance or manifestation especially of a divine being

3:a (1): a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something (2): an intuitive grasp of reality through something (as an event) usually simple and striking (3): an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure b: a revealing scene or moment

Camille is a little over four months old now - this post is very late in coming; I started it the day after her four month check up.

Just to update y'all on her stats: she weighs 12 lbs., 15 oz. and even though she seems like she's spitting up an inordinate amount of what she eats now that she's getting formula for some of her feedings, she's gaining weight well. She's 25 inches long and her head is 41 cm around. Those measurements put her in the 25th - 50th percentile for weight, 75th for length, and 50th for her head. She's basically right on the same growth trajectory as Caroline was at her age.

She's doing well for the most part. She's happy and smiles when we play with her, or when one of us comes into the room. She's sitting up in her bumbo much better now, so it seems her head and neck control is improving. Camille can't roll over yet, but I told the doctor that her floor time is necessarily limited because Charlotte thinks it's play time when Camille is on her mat on the floor. We're trying to work on getting her a little tummy time and back time as much as possible though.

Here are a few pictures from the day she turned four months old - she's even changed since then, so I'll get some more pictures up soon!

Wednesday, January 05, 2011

Fairly often, I encounter people or events that remind of the truth that everyone has a story. Each person I pass on the street or interact with during the day, they all have a story. Each person is someone's child, someone's sister or brother, mother or father. This video was a welcome reminder of that for me today: